By Diana Pikulski
For as long as there have been horses in barns, there have been barn cats. At Saratoga Race Course, cats have always lived among the horses. The cats provide service through rodent control and companionship for the people caring for the horses. Many stables who have their own cats take them when they leave at the end of the season. However, numerous cats are left behind and throughout the year others are dropped off at the track and left to fend for themselves. Many other cats migrate to the track in search of food and shelter.
For years, the cat problem at Saratoga, like at many racetracks across the country, was spiraling out of control. The colonies of cats that lived in and under the barns were unattended. The cats were starving and reproducing at an alarming rate. Many of the cats were sick and injured. Animal lover and racehorse owner Susan Moore took notice and action.
Moore had previously founded The Moore Foundation the mission of which is to provide care and medical treatment for sick, injured and homeless cats and other animals. She added a program to care for racetrack cats and got to work.
“I would be visiting our horses and see the cats running around searching for food,” said Moore. “It was incredibly sad. Most of the cats were emaciated with eye infections, skin diseases and parasites. Some of the cats were feral, but others were friendly and had obviously been abandoned at the racetrack.”
“I knew that the situation could be managed so I decided to recruit help and get it under control.”
Moore began trapping cats, having them neutered, vaccinated and given necessary medical treatment. The feral cats were returned to the track where they were fed, monitored and cared for throughout the year. Friendly cats and kittens were offered for adoption to good homes. The cats that needed long-term care were taken to The Moore Foundation to live.
“There were dozens and dozens of cats and kittens living under the barns and grooms' quarters at the Oklahoma track,” said Moore. “I would get there at 6 a.m. to set the traps, bring the feral cats to local vets and then drive back to New Jersey with the adoptable cats and kittens. I worked with Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, Harlingen Veterinary Clinic and several other clinics. They treated and neutered the cats and showcased the kittens for adoption. We found homes for literally hundreds of kittens and cats.
“I found help to feed, monitor and care for the cats in Saratoga throughout the year,” said Moore. “Imagine how difficult life is for homeless cats at the racetrack during the winter, when the horses and horsemen are gone. It is freezing cold with snow on the ground for months, and there is hardly any food.” The Moore Foundation had three feeding stations built that are replicas of the Saratoga barns and placed them strategically around the backstretch.
Today, Moore's program at Saratoga, Caring for Racetrack Cats, continues to go beyond what most Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs provide.
“Caring for Racetrack Cats is not your average TNR program,” said Chris Boudreau, who currently manages the program at Saratoga for The Moore Foundation. “Caring for Racetrack Cats is a model program that really manages the situation, providing hands-on care and feeding, monitoring and adoption all year long.”
The program has completely altered life for the cats on the backstretch. The cats are healthy and safe and people are not subjected to the sight of emaciated and sick cats searching for food.
Moore's attentions are not only on cats at the racetrack. Moore, who with her husband John, has raced hundreds of horses in her life, never leaves any horse's welfare to chance. The Moores have supported the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) and John Moore, chairman emeritus of the TRF, served for ten years in leadership of the organization.
Over the past 30 years, Susan Moore has helped countless horses and many of them were not her own. When notified of a horse that has no other options, Moore takes action and provides funding for vet care and retraining or placement when possible.
“Susan Moore is simply 'golden' in my eyes and an incredibly caring and stalwart champion for horses,” said Dr. Patty Hogan, Moore's longtime collaborator in rehabilitating Thoroughbreds so that they can enjoy their retirement. “Any horse fortunate enough to cross paths with Susan will be assured a lifetime of responsible care, no matter the cost or effort. Susan is a highly successful businesswoman with an intense work schedule, yet she leaves no stone unturned in personally arranging every detail of care and follow-up for a horse in need. Her compassion for horses runs deep and her dedication [is] unwavering.”
To date, through its exemplary programs, The Moore Foundation, which is celebrating its 20th-year anniversary, has placed in good homes more than 1,000 homeless animals and provided hundreds of animals with desperately needed veterinary care. During its 20 years of existence, The Moore Foundation has distributed over $2,000,000 in furtherance of these purposes.
“Susan has supported more than 300 animals in our practice alone,” said Dr. Katharine Salmeri of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. “We work closely together and I hear the compassion she has for all animals and people who are in desperate need of a way to save their pet.”
“Imagine how devastating it is to have a loving pet who becomes ill or injured, and dies unnecessarily because you can't afford any veterinary care,” said Moore. “I was heartbroken as a child when my pets died because we did not have enough money to take them to a veterinarian when they got sick or injured. Families and pets should not suffer like that.”
As part of its 20th-anniversary celebration, The Moore Foundation is launching a campaign to fund its state-of-the-art program, Caring for Racetrack Cats, at Saratoga and to expand its services to other tracks.
“My goal is to raise enough funds to replicate the program in other racetracks and to continue providing critically needed medical care for animals,” said Moore. “We want to show that horse racing as a business and sport cares for all domestic animals that live in its midst and exist because of the presence of horses.”
“Throughout the year, we will spread the word about racing's support of the campaign and the cats,” said Moore. “It will help the cats and maybe bring new fans who will see the compassion for animals that we all know exists on the backstretch.”
To be a part of saving lives at Saratoga and other racetracks, click here to donate or to get more information. Every dollar raised in this campaign will be used for food, shelter and medical treatment. The organization currently has a matching donor to match all donations up to $50,000 received between now and the end of the Saratoga racing meet.
Diana Pikulski is the editor of the Thoroughbred Adoption Network.
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